Iran Journal of Nursing

  Background &Aims: Transition is a passage or movement from one state, condition, or place to another. Most of nursing care occurs during transition process and the primary goal of nursing is to enhance healthy outcomes for patients. The mission of nursing according to this concept is the art and science of facilitating the transition to health and well-being. In the meanwhile, end stage renal disease patients have to transit from this situation to the hemodialysis situation. The purpose of this study is to explore facilitators in the process of transition to heamodialysis.

  Material & Methods: This paper is a part of findings of a more extensive grounded theory study. The participants included new hemodialysis patients, their relatives and health care personnel. Purposeful and theoretical sampling was used to recruit participants and continued until saturation. The study was undertaken in hospitals affiliated to Shaheed Beheshti and Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Data was generated by semi-structured interviews, and observation. The data were analyzed by constant comparison. The rigor of the study was confirmed through the criteria proposed by Lincoln and Guba.

  Results: Facilitators in the process of transition to heamodialysis included personal factors (physical, mental and spiritual properties), social factors (expert support of medical and nursing team, collaboration of family and familiars, support of social organizations and effects of interaction with peers) and spirituality (relating with God, having recourse to God's Saints and relying on spirituality values).

 Conclusion: Nurses’ special attention to the personal, social and spiritual characteristics of hemodialysis patients, providing an appropriate context for identifying and reinforcing these factors, and doing appropriate supportive interventions would play an important role in the process of healthy transition to heamodialysis.

  Received: 8 Mar 2013

  Accepted: 13 May 2013